Read Online Savage Lane by Jason Starr - Free Book Online Page A

laughter, middle-aged guys acting like kids in the back of a classroom.
    Mark, getting seriously irritated with the conversation and wanting to change the topic, said to Stu, “What’re you using on this, iron or a wood?”
    “I’m using an iron, you’re the one using the wood on Karen.”
    All the guys, except Mark, laughed.
    Then Stu said to Richie, “Seriously, I’m not talking about marrying the broad. Just to fuck around with a few times. I mean somebody’s gotta motorboat those knobs.”
    “Yeah, you gotta check the cougar box before you get married,” Doug said to Richie.
    “And you know she knows her way around in the sack,” Stu said. “Since she and Joe broke up she’s been a dating machine. My wife said she’s on Match, OkCupid, all that shit.”
    “Yeah, I think I’ve seen her with three different guys in the past month,” Doug said.
    This was ridiculous; she’d only been with one guy lately—Steven. Unless there were others Mark didn’t know about. This thought made his gut tighten.
    “Did you see her with that new guy?” Stu asked. “I think his name’s Steven? Tall guy, long hair, ponytail. I ran into them at the bagel place one morning a couple of weeks ago.”
    “Nope, then I guess it’s been four guys in the past two months,” Doug said.
    “Great, so now you’re trying to set me up with a slut,” Richie said.
    “Okay, that’s enough,” Mark said to Richie.
    “Oooh, I think somebody’s getting protective over his girlfriend,” Stu said.
    “Relax, I’m just kidding around,” Richie said to Mark.
    “Take it easy,” Stu said to Mark.
    “Yeah,” Doug said. “And if you’re not hitting it yourself why do you give a shit who she’s fucking?”
    Mark cocked the three iron he was holding over his shoulder like an axe and took a step toward Doug, as if about to whack him over the head with it. He actually started the backswing.
    “Hey, whoa, whoa, take it easy, man,” Doug said, backing away.
    “You crazy?” Stu said to Mark. “He’s just messin’ with you.”
    Mark felt crazy. He felt out of control.
    Then, maybe after a few seconds, sanity returned.
    He lowered the club and said, “I was just messing with you too,” but he knew no one was buying this, not even himself.
    “I think somebody needs an anger management class,” Stu said.
    Mark wanted to say something to help smooth things over, but he couldn’t think of what exactly to say.
    Then Richie broke the tension, saying, “Looks like we’re up.”
    Mark played worse on the back nine, partly because he could tell everyone was still uncomfortable around him, and partly because he was anxious to finish up and get back to the clubhouse in time to hopefully bump into Karen. After eighteen, he rushed ahead to the clubhouse, disappointed that he didn’t see Karen on the terrace where she usually hung out. The guys were lingering, talking, and he didn’t want to make it too obvious that he was looking for her, so he went nonchalantly into the indoor area of the clubhouse. He didn’t see her and then went into the bathroom and peed and washed up. Then he texted her: Hey saw u playing tennis b4 @ club, was hoping to run into u How was it??
    He waited for a couple of minutes, staring at his phone, but didn’t get a response. Then he went through to the café and saw Karen and her friend at a table in the back in the corner.
    Mark noticed that Stu and Richie were now near the bar, and probably would see him going over to Karen, but he didn’t really care what the guys thought anymore. He definitely wasn’t going to let their teasing affect his friendship with her.
    Mark approached Karen from the side, and she didn’t see him until he said, “Hey you.”
    “Hey,” she said.
    He could tell she was as happy to see him as he was to see her.
    “I have a little while till I have to get back,” he said, “mind if I join you for a few minutes?”
    Karen and her friend—Jill, that’s right, her name was